Sheet-delivery mechanism.



J. WHITE. SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM. APPLIoATIoN FILED 00T. 2a

Patented Dec. 2,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. WHITE. SHEET DELIVERY MEGHANISM. APPLIGATION FILED 00T. ze, 1910.

3l u m n 1 E m C. e s mm Dm f 11 Mm m 2 N\ nba l |l *l `N .Q DL NN @n ITnml t m Q V- om mm UNiTED STATES JOSEPH WHITE, OF PISCATAWAY TOWNSHIP,MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY,

ASSIGNOR T0 HALL PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF DUNELLEN, NEW JERSEY,

CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

SHEET-DELIVERY MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 28, 1910. Serial No. 589,627.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing in Piscataway township, county of Middlesex, State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSheet-Delivery Mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one form of my noveldevices in a delivery mechanism which consists of an endless carrier fora pair of gripper bars which engage the forward end of the sheet, takingit from the gripper mechanism of the impression cylinder and carrying itforward over and allowing it to drop on the delivery pile. Where a`carrier of this description is employed, the sheets are apt to dropirregularly, especially when the machine is run at' a high speed, makingan uneven pile, but I have found that y by `stretching the sheet overthe delivery pile while it is in control of the carrier, and retardingits motion from behind and allowing the final movement of the sheet tobe effected from the tail, the sheets will be delivered on the deliverypilewith great ac-` curacy and in smooth condition.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of themachine as is required to illustrate the invention in the form which Ihave chosen for lpurposes of illustration. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig.l.

1 and 2 represent the side frames of the machine in which is mounted theimpression cylinder 3, in which is mounted the usual gripper shaft 4having its set of .sheet-taking grippers 5. On the end of said shaft 1sfastened the usual tumbler 6 which is rocked by the usual tumbler pinsto open and close the grippers.

As this invention relates to the delivery part of the machine, theopening tumbler pin 7 only 'is shown. In the forward rotation of theimpression cylinder the tumbler 6 strikes the tumbler pin 7 and rocksthe shaft 4, causing the grippers to open and release the sheet.

Fastened to the impression cylinder?) is.

a driving gear 8 which meshes with a gear 9 fastened to the sprocketshaft 10, said shaft, being mounted in the side frames of the machine.This sprocket shaft has a pair of driving sprockets 11 and 12 fastenedto it, over which runs a pairrof endless chains 13 and 14. These chainsalso pass over another pair of sprockets 25 and 26 mounted on studs 27in the side frame of the machine, saidstudsbeing adjustable 1n slots 28,by which means the chains are given their proper tension. The length ofthe chain being equal .to twice the periphery of the 1mpress1oncylinder, two sets of grippers are mounted thereon in order to take asheet from the impression cylinder every revolution.

The bar supporting links on the chain consist of plates 15 to which isrigidly fastened rod 16 and in which is journaled `gripper shaft 17. Therods 16 have formed cam 24, the grippers are opened, allowing the sheetsto drop on a pile in a manner to be hereinafter described.'

I'Vhile the method of retarding the tail of the sheet and applyingtension to the same for the purpose of stretching it while in control ofthe grippers may be varied widely, the preferred form in the type ofmachine illustrated consists of a pairof retarding rollers controlledand operated in the following manner: J ournaled in the side frames justbehind the delivery board and below the delivery chains and the path ofthe delivery grippers, is a retarding roller 30. It will be seen'that inthe forward movement of the sheets while they are being delivered, thesheets will be drawn over this roller. Fastened to pulley 33 looselymounted on the end of roller 30 is an arm 34, which carries a pawl 35which engages a ratchet 36, said ratchet being fastened to the retardingroller 30. Pulley 31 is attached to the shaft of the cylinder 3 and thebelt 32 connects pulleys 31 and 33, these pulleys being soproportionedthat the surface of the roller 30 has a slower speed thanthe speed of the surface of cylinder 3 or of the grippers 19.

vFastened to one end of Athis rockshaft 39 is an arm 40 to which is'pivoted a connection 41, the other end of which is connected to arm 42formed on a hub\ 43 loosely pivoted on a stud 44 fastened in the sideframe of the machine. Thishub 43 has another arm 45 formed on it, oneend of which carries a roller 46 which runs upon a cam 47, said cambeing adjustably fastened to the end of the impression cylinder.

By 'means -of the connections and parts previously mentioned, it can beseen that the retarding wheels 37 will be moved into and out` of contactwith the retarding roller 30, and that the sheets to be deliveredpassing between theretarding roller and the wheels will be nipped, andas they are moving at a slower speed than the sheet or the grippers 19,the sheet. will be stretched between the grippers holding' the forwardend and the retarding rollers acting upon the rear end. This cam 47 isso formed as tocause the wheels to rise in time to clear the grippersand gripper bars as they pass under it, and to lower onto the tail ofthe sheet in the proper position and engage said sheet between theretarding roller and the wheels so as to draw it in tension before it iscompletely over the delivery pile. After the sheet has been in tension,it is generally desirable to cause the grippers to release the sheeta-ndto allow the retarding roller and wheel to complete the last of themovement in deliverin the sheet: although in cases where the s eet isvery lightweight, the grippers will be caused to retain the sheet alonger time than with a heavier Weight sheet.

In order to control the point of travel at which the grippers willrelease the sheet, the cam 24 is made adjustable.; said cam beingadjustable and mounted on a cam plate 48, said cam plate being fastenedon the end of the studs 24. v

The cam 47 which controls the point at which the sheet is nipped by theroller 37 is also made adjustable and is fastened to the cylinder end bya bolt 49 at its center and another bolt 50 which passes through theslot 51 formed in the cam. It will -be seen that the peripheral speed ofroller 30 vis slower than the speed of the sheet which is moving overit, and that when the Wheel 37 comes 1n contact with the sheet, thespeed of the roller l30 tends to be accelerated by the sheet after ithas been drawn taut. The pawl 35 and ratchet 36 allow this accelerationto be accomplished. After the sheet has been drawn taut the grippersare, opened and the final movement in depositing the sheet is given bythe rollers. I havev also found that in certain cases the mechanism ismore efficient where thebelt 32 is removed from the pulleys and thesheet is nipped between the undriven rollers. In this case,

tension is imparted to the sheet and it is no greater than, andgenerally not so great a surface speed, as the sheet at the time thegrippers release the sheet, and as soon as the release takes place, thefriction of the bearings is sufficient to set up a retardation ofthe'rollers and of the sheet, while at the same time enough energy isstored in the rollers to deliver the tail of the sheet.

What I claim is:

1. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier, sheet taking means on saidcarrier adapted and arranged to engage the front edge o'f the sheet andcarry it over the delivery pile and retarding means adapted and arrangedto engage and retard the tail of the sheet while the frontedgeis engagedby said sheet taking means, said sheet taking means and said retardingmeans being arranged to co-act to stretch the sheet longitudinallybefore said sheet takin'gmeans is disengaged from the sheet. :f

2. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier, sheet taking means on saidcarrier adapted and arranged to engage the front edge of the sheet and`carry it over the delivery pile and retarding means located behind thedelivery pile and adapted and arranged to engage and retard the tail endof the sheet while the front edgeis engaged by said sheet taking means,said vsheet taking means and said retarding means being arranged 'toco-aet to stretch the sheet longitudinally before said sheet takingmeans is disengaged from the sheet. l

3. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier, sheet taking means on saidcarrier adapted and arranged to engage the front edge of the sheet andcarry it over the delivery pile, and a pair of rollers located at therear of the pile and! adapted and 'arranged to engage and reta'rd thetail of the sheet while the front edge is engaged by said sheet takingmeans. y

41 In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier consisting of a pair ofendless chains and gripper bars mounted between them; sheet taking meanscomprising a set of grippers mounted on said bars, a roller locatedJcontinuously moving member adapted to below the path of said gripperbars, a coacting movably mounted roller above said roller and means formoving said movably mounted roller into and out of the path of thegripper bars, and into and out of engage- 'ment with the sheet `toretard the tail thereof while it is being carried over the delivery pileby said grippers.

5. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier, a set of grippers mountedon said lcarrier for engaging the front edge of the sheet to carry itover the delivery pile', sheet retarding means adapted to engage thesheet while it is held in said grippers and arranged to stretch thesheet by resisting the pull of said grippers, and means for opening thegrippers while the sheet is'in control of the retarding means.

6. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a'carrier, a set of grippers mountedon said carrier arranged to engage the forward end of the sheet to carryit over the delivery pile, a pair of rollers arranged to engage the tailof the sheet, means for moving one roller into and out of contact withthe other, means whereby the point of release of the grippers may bevaried, and means whereby the point of engagement of the rollers withthe-sheet may be varied.

7. In a sheet deliveryI mechanism, a, carrier, means for moving saidcarrier at a uniform speed, sheet taking means on said carrier and acontinuously rotating retarding member constructed and arranged tofrictionally engage the sheet while it is held by said sheet takingmeans.

8. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier, sheet taking means on saidcarrier, a

frictionally engage the sheet and driving means adapted and arranged tomove the engaging surface of said member at a speed slower than thespeed of said sheet taking means, said driving means including a slipdevice adapted and arranged to permit said engaging surface to be movedat a faster speed than that given it by said driving means. 9. In asheet delivery mechanism, a sheet retarding device comprising a pair ofcontacting rollers adapted to engage respectively t-he upper and thelower surfaces of the sheet, driving means for said rollers and means'to draw a sheet through said rollers at a speed greater than that of theperiphery vof said rollers when driven by said driving means, saiddriving means including a slip device adapted and arranged to permitsaid that given them by said driving means.

- witnesses. rollers to' be rotated at a faster speed than l0. In asheet delivery mechanism, a carrler, sheet taking means on said carrier.

means to release the forward end of the sheet while it` is engaged bythe retarding means, said retarding means being adapted and arranged toprogress thesheet forwardly, but at a slower speed than that given it bythe said carrier.

11. In a sheet delivery mechanism, sheet retarding rollers and a carrieradapted and arranged to engage the sheet and pass it between saidrollers and to release it while it is engaged by said rollers, saidrollers being adapted and arranged to move the sheet aft-er its releaseby the'carrier and in the same direction but'at a slower speed than thatgiven by the carrier.

12. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a pair of contacting rollers and acarrier adapted `and arranged to engage the sheet and pass it betweensaid rollers and to release it while it is engaged by said rollers, saidrollers being adapted and arranged to rotate after such release toprogress the sheet in the same direction as that given by the carrier.

13.' In a sheet delivery mechanism, a ca rrier, a set of grippersmounted on said carrier arranged to engage the forward end of the sheetto carry it overl the delivery pile,

a pair of rollers arranged to engage the tail of the sheet, means formoving one roller into and out of contact with the other and meanswhereby the point of engagement of the rollers with the sheet may bevaried.

14. In a sheet delivery mechanism, 'a carrier, means for moving saidcarrier at a uniform speed, sheet taking means on said carrier and arotatable retarding member' constructed and arranged to engage the sheetfrictionally while it is held by said sheet taking means.

15. In a sheet delivery mechanism, a carrier, means fo-r vmoving saidcarrier at a uniformspeed, sheet taking means on said carrier, a movablymounted rotatable retarding member and means to bring said member intofrictional engagement with the sheet while it is held by said sheettaking means.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing JOSEPH IVHITE. Witnesses:

LEWIS R. ScHoFmLD, JAMES MCCLYMONT.

